Railing systems conventionally serve safety functions and also can be used to divide an area into two or more regions. Railings often are used where there is a change in elevation, such as at a landing, or as a guide on stairways and pathways.
Commercially available railing systems suffer from a number of disadvantages, such as labor-intensive installation and requirements for customized components. Customized components are undesirable because of increased time and labor costs required when taking measurements, crafting the components and installing the system. While the straight portions of railing structures generally can be constructed and assembled in a relatively straightforward manner, forming corners often presents more difficult problems.
Some railing systems lack separate corner fittings. In such systems, the corner portion of the railing typically is formed by mitre cutting the edges of the straight railing portions at approximately 45-degree angles. The angled edges of the two straight railing portions are then welded together to form a corner. One disadvantage of this method is the extra time and expense of mitre cutting and welding incurred by the railing installer. In addition, the welded edges may be misaligned and as a result may have exposed sharp edges and/or an unattractive appearance.
Although some corner fittings are commercially available, these components suffer from a number of disadvantages. Even when corner fittings are provided for railing systems, often mitre cutting of the straight railing portions is required to insert the straight portions into the corner component. Furthermore, many corner fittings are of a larger cross-section than the corresponding straight railing portions and as a result have exposed edges which do not align with the straight railing. These exposed edges can be sharp and hazardous to users. In addition, they often are unattractive and visually unappealing. The assembly process, particularly when mitre cutting is required, can be difficult and time consuming for railing installers. Because many corner components lack features to assist in alignment, the assembly process often results in misaligned railway portions. Often, too, commercially available corner fittings lack strengthening components or support structure and therefore are not as resistant to impact as is required in certain settings. Specifically, in many jurisdictions building codes have minimum load requirements for handrails.
Therefore, there exists a need for a pre-fabricated corner fitting for railing systems that eliminates the need for installers to engage in difficult and time consuming mitre cutting of straight railing portions. There also is a need for a corner fitting that is the same cross-section as the straight railing portions, thereby eliminating any dangerous or unattractive exposed edges. There also exists a need for a corner fitting with alignment features and support structure that ensures alignment with straight railing portions and impact resistance. In particular, there exists a need for a corner fitting that provides the support necessary to meet minimum load requirements for handrails.